Cops shoot suspect approaching their truck in SE Houston

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Friday, January 10, 2020
Officer fires weapon in southeast Houston; suspect hospitalized
The suspect raised his backpack, then pointed it directly at the officers in the front seat.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- An officer-involved shooting occurred in southeast Houston.

It happened around 1:22 p.m. Thursday.

According to Chief Art Acevedo, two officers, who are a part of a gang-unit, were assigned to go undercover in the 8000 block of Martin Luther King Boulevard, which he described as a 'high-intensity' drug trafficking area.

The officers were dressed in plain clothes and were waiting inside an unmarked black pickup truck at a Walgreens parking lot.

Police say a man carrying a backpack tried to open the door of the pickup truck, while officers made gestures at him to leave the area.

The suspect then stepped back and began to remove his backpack.

After unzipping the bag, police say the suspect stuck his hand inside the backpack while screaming, "I got something for you."

Acevedo said he raised the backpack then pointed it directly at the officers in the front seat. The officers fired several rounds, striking the suspect multiple times.

The suspect was sent to the hospital to be treated. His condition was not immediately released.